This blog is still and maybee always will be in alpha. There is no strict editorial direction at this time, but it's likely to be rantings and ravings about technology, design, art, culture and especially all things new media.

Cannibals vs. Conversion

"Lessig's bottom line has to do with cannibals and converts. People who decide not to buy a book because it's free online represent the cannibalization rate. The conversion rate reflects the number of people who hear about a book because it's online, but decide to buy the hardcover because it's easier to read than the downloaded version. 'If the conversion rate is greater than the cannibalization rate, then you sell more books,' Lessig says."
From Give It Away and They'll Buy It - STANFORD Magazine: July/August 2004 > Farm Report > News

Wow! That's quite a chain of attribution. On behalf of myself, Joi Ito, Creative Commons, and Copyfight I thank you William F. Heinz of I/P Updates. If you read this I'm just curious where you heard about the article? Did you hear it straight from the source (the Stanford Magazine) or did you read about it on someone else's blog or an RSS feed? My curiosity about the dissemination of information has now turned into a temporary obsession. I didn't realize how deep this rabbit hole went until I noticed Joi Ito's blog had an attribution on his attributed quote.

Explanation: Oybike is a public bike rental system that uses a cell phone enable electronic lock system to secure and track bikes.

The main objective of the system is to supply an increased choice in your mode of transport traveling around Hammersmith and Fulham...

This looks like a brilliant idea. I think it might work better in a tourist capacity or tourist town like Put-in-bay Island (OH), or Cape Cod, or the Florida Keys, or Hawaii that already rent a lot of bikes, but the availability of inexpensive bikes and cheap electronic gadgetry for electronic locking systems might make this a go. I hope it's successful so I can start one in Chicago. In fact there are some great bike rental places in and around Navy Pier and downtown Chicago for taking rides on Chicago's famed lake front bike-path.

A few other thoughts though, you need to pre-signup. Pre-signups are the ban of simple convenient pay systems. For example pre-signups are the ban of internet wireless services such as that of TMobile / Starbucks service. Why not just put the 1800 number on the bike and let people call in and use a credit card. After that they just give their name and security code and go.

Second, To go a little further; with todays cheap WAP interfaces and wireless devices you could simply create an interface in which you just type in a username and password and it automatically unlocks the bike and charges your card. Think of it as an e-commerce system built into a cell phone / lock built for the sole purpose of buying bike time. No phone calls or human interaction necessary. This leaves the 800 number people and staff to simply offer support, keep track of and maintain the bikes and electronics. I think I could almost build a cellular enabled lock system myself with a couple hundred dollars. A mass produced unit would be even cheaper.

The most interesting article I have found is and an post including correspondence on a local UK cyclist club website at htcycliests.org. It explores a plethora of issues and is fascinating. Read the full report it is truly fascinating.

Friday, July 30

JibJab and their political parody "This Land" are in the news again. (my previous post) They are being sued for copyright infringement by Ludlow Music, Inc., a unit of The Richmond Organization whom owns the rights to Woodie Guthrie's classic song.

Oddly enough Woody Guthrie once used this as a copyright on one of his early recordings.

"This song is Copyrighted in U.S., under Seal of Copyright # 154085, for a period of 28 years, and anybody caught singin it without our permission, will be mighty good friends of ourn, cause we don't give a dern. Publish it. Write it. Sing it. Swing to it. Yodel it. We wrote it, that's all we wanted to do."

Kinberg's degree is an MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons School of Design in New York City, and his thesis is a bicycle that receives text messages and prints them in foot-high chalk letters, then blogs a digital photo and GPS map of the printing, all while the rider cruises along.

A self-described "hacktivist," Kinberg's other school projects have included Magicbike (a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot he and a professor take to outdoor cultural events) and the Hello World Project, which let people laser-project their own messages onto landscapes and landmarks all over the world.

Kinberg will officially roll out the bike during August's Republican National Convention in New York, but he says the project is as much performance art as protest.

Bush is trying to kiss up to me to get my vote for the election and while I like it I still ain't votin' for em. :)

Bush offered a glimpse of his new pastime to an Associated Press reporter Monday, roaming the dirt roads and far-flung pastures of his 1,600-acre ranch. About halfway through, he sailed over the handlebars during a dangerous descent, but dusted himself off, picked up his $3,100 bicycle and kept riding.

Pigzilla was last weekend. It was a blast. Four kegs of Old Style Beer, two ninety pound pigs, a few extra shoulders for good measure, forty or so pounds of potato salad, and all the fixings. Wow! It was a blast. A very large and gracious thank you to the hosts (you know who you are).

"While hunting on a private Georgia plantation in June, guide Chris Griffin killed a feral hog that supposedly weighed 1,000 pounds and was 12 feet long, the Associated Press reported. The news of the animal has created a buzz in town and is even reaching a legend-like status with locals now referring to the beast as ?Hogzilla.? 'People just sit back and ask, ?is it real,?' one Alapaha resident told the AP regarding a photograph that captures a dwarfed Griffin standing beside the hog hanging from a rope."
From: Field & Stream - ?Hogzilla? vs. Hunter

At last count there were 94 article on Google News regarding Hogzilla.

Thursday, July 29

"In a career that spanned nearly six decades, his aptitude for inventing evocative, easily recognizable corporate identities spawned the Jolly Green Giant, the Marlboro Man, the Pillsbury Doughboy and Tony the Tiger, among other familiar icons of commerce. By the late 1950s Burnett had emerged as a prime mover in advertising's creative revolution, which grew in the glow of television's rise as America's consummate commercial medium. By 1960 Burnett's roster of clients had grown exponentially; at the time of his death the agency's billings exceeded $400 million annually. By last year that figure approached $6 billion."

Wednesday, July 28

We've all seen and heard it about it. Most of us have stopped laughing over it or fuming over it weeks ago. You can even buy the t-shirt. However, The New Yorker will make you laugh about it all over again. This is a must read on the infamous Dick Cheney vs. Senator Leahy encounter on the Senate floor. Enjoy.

A full half of Harley Davidson's buyers are return customers "upgrading" to new Harley's. Think about what it means when all those customers re-sell their Harleys to the next guy. That should give you some idea of what it means to be one of the most legendary cult brands.

How about the Neistat Brothers who produced the short film "iPod's Dirty Little Secret" after they were so insensed about the iPod's 18 month battery life? It was an attack on Apple for a device they love and a trust betrayed. Luckily Apple brought them back into the fold and now offers much better battery replacement options, but not before that video was viewed over 1.4 million times.

Then there is Morgan Spurlock who created the documentary film "Super Size Me" to document the decline of his health over a thirty day period in which he ate nothing but McDonalds. Within Months McDonald's pulled the "super size" value meals off their menu.

Consumers are speaking up, people are finding their voices. They're getting more demanding, more direct, and what they are demanding is a larger say and more control over the world in which they live, brands are merely one of the front lines.

This has new meaning. I'm actually posting it for a friend who wants to get into eccomerce.

"... Sometimes the buyer retracts the payment saying that a transfer never took place at all. After all, there is no receipt. Sounds a bit like the Diebold e-voting scandal, eh? PayPal yanks the money back out of the seller's account EVEN IF IT HAS ALREADY BEEN TRANSFERRED TO A BANK ACCOUNT. One minute the money is there, the next minute it isn't, and the seller has almost no recourse at all."

This scam regards ficticious goods or virtual goods that don't physically exist (such as software) but even when you're selling physical goods a scam artist can easily contest your delivery of the physical goods and paypal will rollover like a dog and yank the money from your paypal or bank account (as stated above) leaving you with the possibility of bounced checks, fees, or worse and you will be on your own to track down said dead beat or scam artist, prove that they recieved your goods and attempt to extract payment from them. Finally there is always the strong possibility that you will never recoup your merchandise or payment let alone the time, fees, and costs you will likely inccured in the process.

Paypal is cool between friends, acquintances and people you know and trust, but when it's more than just pocket change there is no substitute for real world trust systems. If you don't know the person you're doing business with use an escrow. If you want to do business with the general public (i.e. e-commerce/store front) then you are doing business with people you don't even know and should protect yourself accordingly by using a merchant account or business account and incorporating or creating an LLC. You get what you pay for. Paypal is not your friend and isn't going to watch your back when somone cancells a check or reports your goods as "undelivered" they're just going to yank the money back out of your pocket and leave you standing there with no support, no money, no merchandise and little to no possibility of recourse.

Tuesday, July 27

I'm saddened that Lindows has backed down from Microsoft by accepting $20 million to change their name to Linspire. They clearly had the case won and $20 million is a poor substitute for all the equity Microsoft has helped them build into the Lindows brand by filing the lawsuit against them, thus increasing Lindows brand awareness.

However, at least Lindows has created these two new and incredibly bad flash advertisements for our enjoyment.

Monday, July 26

Local Chicagoan and blogger Jason Fried of Signal vs. Noise has a nice little post on the Farnsworth House (aka. Mies van der Rohe's house of glass) as well as some nice pictures. I'm going to have to take a trip out there myself someday soon. It's only an hour or so from downtown Chicago

"I pointed out to him (Mies) that it (a glass house) was impossible because you had to have rooms, and that meant solid walls up against the glass, which ruined the whole point. Mies said, 'I think it can be done.'"
— Philip Johnson speaking at a symposium held at the School of Architecture, Columbia University, 1961.

Friday, July 23

Lets here it for the publishers of the Official Meeting Facilities Guide, better known as OMFG.

Maybe I've been exposed to too much e-speak, IM/texting lingo, and net/chat/BB abbreviations and acronyms, but when I received my first "free to professionals" issue of the Official Meeting Facilities Guide with my morning tower of biz junk mail, I ... well, let's just say that my reaction was probably the polar opposite of what they were hoping for.

Thursday, July 22

Are accessibility people really "militant" or are they just insane and obsessive. I've been tempted to liberate some information, art objects and experiences from their dull trappings, but I haven't joined the ILF (Information Liberation Front) yet.

David Jones republishes articles from Wales' National Assembly website on his own Assembly Online site because the official designers "clearly don't know what they're doing."

"They're singularly clueless; the HTML and CSS are invalid," he said. "I was exasperated, so I thought I'd do it myself to show them how it might be done. My employer -- an Assembly-funded body looking to secure next year's funding -- cited it as a disciplinary offense. I don't work for that company anymore."

Wednesday, July 21

This was sent to me last week from my friend Adam in Phoenix (thanks Adam). He got it from his parents in Michigan. (Thanks Adam's parents.) By the time I got home yesterday it was all over the news. I spotted it twice on two different TV News stations. It's officially an overnight success. The creators, two brothers, Gregg and Evan Spiridellis posted the cartoon parody last week on their site JibJab.com and according to their blog due to press on Fox News and CNBC among others on the 18th and 19th they received so many hits they were knocked offline temporarily. There website is back up now and AtomFilms is hosting the 3.5mb Flash clip. According to Atom Films it's been downloaded more than 5 million times.

Tuesday, July 20

Article name: "Armstrong's biggest worry: Basque fans." This is "special coverage" indeed. My favorite photo from stage 13. If the competition doesn't end up giving Lance a run for his money until the bitter end then you can always count on a few crazy Frenchmen. The passion and the determination. You won't see this in the Superbowl.

Monday, July 19

Steve Jobs is making news for something other than his business dealings.

In what could become America's highest-profile tear-down, Mr. Jobs, the Apple and Pixar chief executive, is seeking this town's permission to hit the delete button on the 1926 Daniel C. Jackling estate, a moldering manse designed by George Washington Smith, the architect who created the look of Montecito and Santa Barbara in the 1920's.

The house, built for Mr. Jackling, a copper magnate who died in 1956, sits on six wooded acres that Mr. Jobs, then 29, purchased in 1983. Preservationists have deemed the house historic, an important example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, one that currently stands empty and derelict at the end of a stone-lined cul-de-sac. Mr. Jobs, however, can't abide the place. He recently described it publicly as "one of the biggest abominations of a house I've ever seen."

This has drewl power. It's the Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren's design for the Central Chinese Television Tower in Beijing, which is now showing at the "Tall Buildings" exibit at the MOMA in NY. Rem Koolhaas most recently launched project was the Seattle Public Library. I'm also a fan of the the Swiss Reinsurance Headquarters in London which was designed by Norman Foster.

Organized by Terence Riley and Guy Nordenson, "Tall Buildings" documents 25 projects designed between 1991 and the present. An Industrialized Housing System designed by Richard Rogers in 1991-92 for a South Korean manufacturer is the oldest work in the show. The most recent is the Central Chinese Television (CCTV) Tower in Beijing, a triumphal arch remodeled in the style of M. C. Escher by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren/OMA."

"Tall Buildings" is at the New York Museum of Modern Art until Sept. 27.

I/O Brush is a new drawing tool aimed at young children, ages four and up, to explore colors, textures, and movements found in everyday materials by "picking up" and drawing with them. I/O Brush looks like a regular physical paintbrush but has a small video camera with lights and touch sensors embedded inside. Outside of the drawing canvas, the brush can pick up color, texture, and movement of a brushed surface. On the canvas, children can draw with the special "ink" they just picked up from their immediate environment.

Thursday, July 15

My friend Joel pointed this out to me, it's a great laugh. It's awesome. NPR had a great story this morning about a British street artist who creates graffiti by using cleaning solution to clean his graphics into dirty surfaces.

British authorities aren't sure what to make of the artist who is creating graffiti by cleaning the grime of urban life. The Leeds City Council has been considering what to do with Moose. "I'm waiting for the kind of Monty Python court case where exhibit A is a pot of cleaning fluid and exhibit B is a pair of my old socks," he jokes.

Wednesday, July 14

Well, perhaps, maybe... I still carry around my separate camera and phone and always will until I can get a camera phone with 3.2 megapixels, a 3x's zoom and 256 mb's of ram that can take 15 minutes worth of stellar video. As for the phone, I need to be able to speak over it and use it on occasion as an uplink for my laptop. :) No I'm not one to invest in voice activated dialing, color graphics, and slick features. I currently just use a Sanyo 4900 with a Sprint Vision data connection that allows me to use it as an uplink for the camera. My snapshot camera on the other hand is a Canon Powershot with a 256 card. Anyway, I think this Samsung just might be able to fill the roll of both, if it wasn't only coming out in Korea.

Eight of the nation's largest high-technology companies, consumer electronics makers and movie studios are to announce today a system for licensing and distributing movies and other content produced with the latest digital media technology.

They're calling it "Advanced Access Content Systems" and it could be good or really evil. Based on the players involved, Intel, I.B.M., Microsoft, Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, Walt Disney and Time Warner I'm very skeptical, but you should make up your own mind.

Hacktivism, as defined by the Cult of the Dead Cow, the group of hackers and artists who coined the phrase, was intended to refer to the development and use of technology to foster human rights and the open exchange of information.

Note, they are only thinking of tagging the school children's clothing and/or schoolbags, nothing permanent, a few select schools, mostly sounds like a trial. This is also not the first attempt at RFID tagging children, last month Legoland Denmark started offering RFID tracking service to parents. (RFID Journal) Also, today the BBC had an article on using "electronic chips" to track things like ATV's and farm equipment BBC.

For our third Chicagoist rip off of the day, check out this plan for a new Rockin' McDonalds. For those of you who don't know it's right in the heart of the Chicago tourist district by the Hard Rock and Rainforest Cafe.

Read more onChicagoist, they rock. They even have pictures of the press conference held right at the old Rockin' McDonalds and don't forget to check out the must see fly-by. It's da bomb. :)

I used to get a kick out of driving over there on my motorcycle have a shake and watching the traffic jams form on Saturday afternoons. Tourists are so funny, it's a beautiful study in lemming science. They'd block one intersection, and then the rest of the intersections would block up in a domino effect all the way around the block. It made me laugh and laugh to see someone sitting in their car in the middle of the intersection honking their horn in increased frustration because traffic was blocked by a jack ass just like them at the next intersection.

Chicagoist also has the low down on bike-cabs coming to Chicatown. This wouldn't be such a big deal, after all many cities like San Diego have fleets of taxi-cabs, but Chicago has nada. I'm happy Chicago is getting another form of alternative transportation, but I give it until winter. If Chicago was really behind bike-taxi's they'd have them on Michigan Avenue already.

IKEA was originally eyeing a spot at Roosevelt Road and Clark Street. Needless to say it didn't happen, likely because there is no way that area could handle the traffic. I'm sad if only because I'd miss the convenience and chaos it would bring to the south loop. Instead there is a Target store going in at that location and IKEA is putting in a store in Bolingbrook. Blarg. Target. Blarg. Bolingbrook is farther away than Schaumburg.

Ever since Scandinavian furniture retailer IKEA opened its Schaumburg store in 1998, it's been looking to add a second one in the Chicago area. Next fall, fans of affordable "Euro chic" home furnishings can flock to a new 310,000-square-fooIKEAea in Bolingbrook.

"Schaumburg is one of the highest-performing stores in the world," An Ikea spokesman says, although he wouldn't provide store-specific sales figures for the Midwest anchor located next to Woodfield shopping center. Ikea's 18 U.S. stores brought in $1.3 billion in sales last year, accounting for nearly 11% of the company's $12.2 billion in sales for 2003.Chicagobusiness.com

There has been a lot of tech talk (engadet) surrounding Lance Armstrong (Wired) and the tour this year. Cashing in on it Oakley has staged a press event by getting Lance Armstrong to wear and be photographed wearing their new MP3/sunglasses prototype. Check out the following articles. (Posted in reverse chronological order.)

Monday, July 12

By way of Signal vs. Noise there are many articles featuring Chicago in "green cities" articles including Metropolis and NPR. One thing not mentioned is that there is a "green exhibit" going on at 224 S. Michigan Avenue in the Santa Fe bulding.

Sunday, July 11

The NY Times has an article on a topic close to my heart, internet access on train, bus or boat. As a person who loves to travel by Amtrak I'm extremely interested in how bringing internet access to mid range commuter trains like the Chicago Metra and Amtrak could transform the business class travel marketplace. Flying is such an interruption to the business day. Even besides the travel time to the airport, security and stress that automatically add 2-3 hours to any business flight it is still likely that you will never have clear and open communications and contact while in the air. Rail on the other hand could end up being an extension of the office. Imagine the view from your semi-private office as you keep in touch and keep up on the news and events. I already have a wireless internet service that gives me full internet access while I travel, but a dedicated WiFi point on the train could make traveling by train all that much more enjoyable and viable.

A follow up from my post the other day on the LEGO Spiderman trailer. I knew it was to good to not be professionally done. In fact I figured it was probably from LEGO as they regularly award, sponsor and pay artists to create LEGO videos and other LEGO arts. However, it wasn't until today I was able to confirm it thanks to Adrants. As it turns out it was done as a joint Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures / LEGO Group viral advertisement.

The New York Post front page headline read "Dem picks Gephardt as VP candidate". Obviously they thought wrong as Kerry picked Sen. John Edwards. Not since the Chicago Suntimes printed "Dewey wins!" prematurely on their front page have I seen a paper screw up this bad, and technically I never saw that either.
(stolen from Boing Boing)

Sunday, July 4

The fall out regarding Dick Cheney's telling Senator Leahy to "fuck off" has been immense (news.google.com) and rightfully so. You can even buy the t-shirt.

In a word, it struck a chord of unprecedented ARROGANCE.

Who wants to know how much money Cheney is making off his connections with Halliburton?

Who has a right to know?

Every citizen of the United States has a right to know Mr. Vice President, and as a representative of the State of Vermont Senator Leahy has the right to ask it.

In an era where politicians from the President of the United States of America (ex-pres Clinton) to other would be Senators (Jack Ryan) are being raked over the coals for personal indiscretions every American damn well has the right to know where the money trail goes Mr. Cheney and every American has a right to know exactly where your loyalties lie.

The Haliburton questions Mr. Leahy asked take far more precedence than personal indiscretions Mr. Cheney. The haliburton question Mr. Leahy asked were questions of special interests, national security and American lives Mr. Cheney. Thousands of Americans have died under your parties leadership Mr. Cheney, and every American has a right to know exactly where your loyalties lie.

Dear Vice President Cheney,

Your arrogance directed toward Mr. Leahy was not only completely out of order and insulting to Mr. Leahy, but it is a slap in the face of the American people and the American political system. Senator Leahy is a representative of his constituents of Vermont and by telling him to "fuck off" you have told his constituents to "fuck off".

We are due an answer Mr. Cheney. Senator Leahy, his constituents, and all Americans are owed an apology and response to Senator Leahy's questions and if you Mr. Cheney won't give an answer it's certainly worth AT-LEAST the attention given the Jack Ryan's current situation in Illinois and previously given ex-president Clinton's Oval Office scandal.

As a citizen I demand to know, I demand accountability, and as a voter I will not vote for an administration this arrogant in the up coming election.

A billboard in Cleveland, Ohio featuring mannequins of students has been blamed for causing several traffic accidents, according to a Local 6 News report.

Motorists traveling near the sign said it appears that someone is trying to jump from the top of the billboard. Witnesses said there have been as many as five accidents in the past few months after motorists slammed on their brakes while glancing up at the sign.

Police said despite the fender benders, the billboard would remain up since the responsibility rests with the drivers.
from Local 6 .com, Central Florida

From the cutting edge of advertising trends comes ass-vertising (video 11.2 mb or pictures). New York Health and Racquet Club hooked up with a New York agency to promote their class "Booty Call" outside of Grand Central Station.

In an interview with CNBC this past week Cheney said he never stated that it was "pretty well confirmed" that meetings had taken place between Saddam's Officials and Al Queda members, but The Daily Show dug up the Meet the Press coverage from December 9, 2001 that proves otherwise.

"Mr. Vice President, I have to inform you: You're pants are on fire"
John Stewart, The Daily Show, June 21, 2004

Anyway, Corante.com has a nice little article on the use of the "FUCK word" as understood by the FCC which is not only fucking fantastically informative, but also fan-fucking-tastically fun to read.

But we're just beginning the fan-fucking-tastical fun, because Eric Idle of Monty Python fame says "Fuck you very much" to the FCC, Cheney and many more in this nice little ditty.

"Here’s a little song I wrote the other day while I was out duck hunting with a judge… It’s a new song, it’s dedicated to the FCC and if they broadcast it, it will cost a quarter of a million dollars."